Vamizi Marine Conservation Research Centre

Our Research Center is a hub for marine research and conservation activities in the Quirimbas Archipelago, a group of 32 islands (including Vamizi) in northern Mozambique.

Over the past decade, a substantial amount of funds have been invested in terrestrial and marine research and conservation projects on Vamizi.

This has produced a number of key achievements in the conservation of the island and its surrounding area. These include:

Installation of a community sanctuary – this has already improved fish stocks both inside and outside the protected area.

The Green Turtle Project – this is now the oldest and only ongoing turtle-monitoring project in Northern Mozambique.

Coral reef conservation – central to this is the continuous recording and study of mass coral spawning, a rare and important event partially responsible for the remarkable health of the reefs around Vamizi. It is the only official coral monitoring program of this kind in Africa.

Grey Reef Shark Monitoring Project - Vamizi’s research team has also established an acoustic and satellite monitoring project of a population of Grey Reef Sharks, the last known population of this species in the country.

THE RESEARCH TEAM
The Research Center’s permanent team includes marine and conservation biologists and conservation monitors who are passionate about protecting the precious eco-system on and around the island. Added together they have over 40 years’ experience of working on Vamizi, making them an incredibly valuable resource for our work. Their specialist knowledge and expertise in this region also allows them to provide support to visiting researchers and regular updates and data for current projects. The Research Center has also hosted leading marine experts from WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and CORDIO (Coral Reef Degradation in the Indian Ocean), all of whom have brought expertise from their national and international networks. Our researchers have also collaborated with scientists from universities in Mozambique, South Africa, Australia, Canada, Sweden and the UK, drawing on the latest global research on coral reefs, key marine species and conservation best practice to expand and improve our efforts on Vamizi.

For the past 10 years we have regularly welcomed interns, students and volunteers. Every summer the Research Center invites top-performing science students from Pemba’s Lúrio University to the island to offer practical insights to conservation activities.

In the capacity of spreading awareness we hold weekly presentations to &Beyond Vamizi Island guests, staff and the local community, and we see ourselves as a center of information on the region’s biodiversity and the team’s conservation activities.